Trenton City Council passes protections for immigrant community
At the Trenton City Council meeting held on Tuesday, June 16, the Council passed an ordinance blocking cooperation between the local police department and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The protections include codifying the New Jersey Immigrant Trust Act and establishing clear distinctions between judicial and administrative warrants to prevent ICE-police cooperation, especially when administrative warrants are involved.
The ordinance was passed after organizers from Resistencia en Acción NJ and community members urged city officials to strengthen protections for immigrant residents and address concerns regarding local law enforcement interactions with federal immigration authorities.
Advocates stated that they intend to continue engaging with elected officials and municipalities throughout Mercer County to promote policies that protect immigrant communities and clarify the relationship between local law enforcement agencies and federal immigration authorities.
Resistencia en Acción NJ celebrates the protections and, on Instagram, highlights that more efforts will be made to protect other communities.
“Our fight to keep protecting each other in our communities continues,” says Ana Paola Pazmiño, Executive Director at Resistencia. “At a time when our people are under attack, we will use every resource on a grassroots and legislative level to pass as many ordinances as possible to expel ICE from our neighborhoods. When we organize, we win, and today we have won more protections for our immigrant brothers and sisters.”
“We’re moving forward with this victory,” said Marta, a Trenton community member. “Now the people in our community will have a bit more trust; we are not fully safe yet, but at least we can go to work with some relief.”
